Domestic Airlines Explore New Alliance to Curb Flight Delays, Improve Service Delivery

Chinedu Eze

To curb flight delays and cancellations, domestic airlines are working on introducing one ticket for all, whereby one ticket from one airline can be accepted by other airlines in a planned alliance.

The airlines said this would help to significantly eliminate the inconveniences faced by passengers who suffer from constant flight delays and cancellations occasioned by bad weather, VIP movement and technical problems.

The new alliance will enable a passenger to buy a ticket of one of the airlines and use it in any other member of the alliance and this will also help the airlines reduce low load factor, as one flight could take in passengers from different airlines travelling to the same destination.

The President of Top Brass Aviation Limited and a member of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Roland Iyayi, disclosed this yesterday in his presentation at the 27th annual seminar of the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondent (LAAC) with the theme, “Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies.”

 Iyayi explained that the domestic airlines had decided to come together to address the concerns of passengers for improved service delivery.

Though he did not disclose  the details of the domestic network alliance, he said the alliance would ensure that a passenger could buy a ticket of one airline and use the same on any of the domestic airlines that is member of the alliance.

Iyayi, who spoke on enhancing airlines’ profitability, however, called for an enabling environment to actualise the code-share initiative among domestic carriers while advocating for a national air connectivity agenda to expand air connectivity across the country.

He said it is high time the industry moved away from adopting reactive approach to proactive approaches in tackling the challenges of the industry.

He opposed the new provision of the civil aviation regulation which makes it mandatory for a new airline to have six aircraft before it can operate, saying the global practice is to start with one aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, has disclosed that the aviation industry in Nigeria contributed $1.7 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country while supporting 224,000 jobs in 2022.

Nuhu, who was represented by the Director of Airworthiness Standard (DAWS), Gbolahan Abatan, stated that partnership and collaboration are key to boosting aviation contribution to GDP.

He said the NCAA exists not as police to close down airline business, declaring that the NCAA “is willing to support the airline to get out of the woods.”

“As aviation is global we have no choice than to keep aviation working by adopting workable initiatives and rightful changing strategies to contend with ever-changing times. Though I know the path is somewhat bumpy with financial dire straits calling for concerted efforts,” he said.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, said the aviation industry would continue to align its activities in line with the standard and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Represented by the Director of Air Transport Management in the Ministry, Mr. Hassan Ejibunu, the Permanent Secretary said: “The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace and its Agencies will continue to work assiduously towards the achievements of their individual mandates and in line with the laws establishing them.”